Orthopedic boot or shoe



Nov. 15, 1938. A, FGRSTER T AL 2,136,815

ORTHOPEDIC BOOT OR SHOE Filed March 14, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 15,1938. A. FdRsTER ET AL 2,136,815

ORTHOPEDIC BOOT OR SHOE Filed March 14, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2wry/1111111144?" xmm ZSnnentors Q AUGUST P51257571? u/pw/a BucknerPatented Nov. 15, 1938 PATENT OFFICE 2,136,815 oarnoramc BOOT on SHOEAugust Fiirster and Ludwig Ruckert, Wurzburg, Germany Application March14, 1936, Serial No. 68,913

In Germany April 15, 1935 2 Claims.

, This invention relates to the method of making orthopedic boots orshoes and more particularly to the method of manufacturing supports tobe used in-such boots or shoes.

According to the present invention, orthopedically correct arch supportsare produced by first covering the inner sole of a patients shoe with aplastic mass capable of receiving an impression of the bottom of thepatient's foot. To obtain the desired results it is preferable to use anamount of plastic material in excess of the amount requiredto form thesupport and allowing such excess to be extruded through one or morevents or apertures extending through the sole of the shoe. When theplastic material has been placed in the shoe and the vents opened thepatient then places his weight on the substance and an impression istaken. The excess material is thus forced through the vents or extrudedfrom the mass until such time as only the amount required to make theinsert remains in the shoe at which time the vents in the sole of theshoe are closed and the material permitted to become set or hardened.

It has been found that when an excess of plastic material is employed inmaking a support, in accordance with this invention, all the voids orspaces between the sole of the foot andinner sole of the shoe arecompletely filled with the plastic material. Furthermore, after theplastic material has become set the support consists of a firm andhomogeneous mass. .Where the support is to be left permanently in theshoe in which it has been formed, the plastic material extruded into thevents of the sole of the shoe form integral lugs therewith which secureand maintain the support in the desired position within the shoe andprevent relative movement thereof. However, where it is desirable to usethe support in other shoes the lugs may be removed and the support usedinterchangeably in any number of shoes of the patient.

It has been found that this invention may be employed in conjunctionwith a last which corresponds exactly to the shape of a patient's footand that such last may be employed in making an orthopedically correctinner sole for a shoe. This practice is carried out by first preparing asupport as described above, placing said support in a shoe then fillingthe shoe with a hardening mass, such as "plaster of Paris", which doesnot become united with either the support or the shoe. This mass, whenhardened, is then taken out of the shoe and may then be employed in tomaking inner soles for shoes which will correspond to the foot engagingportion of the support as heretofore described.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification:

Figure 1 is an elevational view partly in section I through the shoe ofa patient with the foot inserted therein;

Figure 2 is a plan view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation through a shoe with a complete supportinserted therein and filled with a hardening mass to make a last;

Figure 4 illustrates how the last may be employed to make anorthopedically correct support;

Figure 5 illustrates a way of improving an existing support according tothis invention.

With reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the method of producing archsupports for making orthopedlcally correct shoes, according to thisinvention, consists in first providing the sole 9 of the shoe l0 withone or 'more vents or holes I l which can be closed in any suitablemanner, for example, with a cap screw I3. The inner surface of the soleof the shoe is then covered with a supply of suitable plastic materialIt. This material is preferably a substance known in the trade asPlastic wood" which may be worked ina plastic form at room temperaturesbut hardens readily when exposed to atmosphere and takes a permanentform. The patient may then put the shoe upon his foot and walk thereonor merely impress his weight thereon. The plastic substance being thussubjected to the weight of the body with the entire surface of the soleof the foot thereon, will thus be moulded or formed in basrelief to thecontours of the foot, the matrix so formed constituting the support forthe foot when the material is hardened. The excess material is extrudedthrough the vents l I. when the amount of plastic material has beenreduced to the proper amount to adequately form the support, the ventsare closed and the plastic material permitted to harden while thepatient is wearing the shoe. This procedure insures that the graduallyhardening mass will take the proper shape.

The support thus formed may be left in the shoe and is secured thereinby the excess material which was extruded into the'vents thereby formingthe lugs ll integral with the arch support. However, the support may 'betaken out and be used in any other shoe of the patient. In the lattercase, the lugs which were formed by the extruded material are removed.

With reference to Figure 3 there is illustrated a method of forminglasts by means of which orthopedically correct shoes may be made. Incarrying out this procedure, a shoe is provided with a support It whichhas been made in accordance with the practice described in conjunctionwith Figure 1. The shoe is then filled with a plastic mass H, such as"plaster of Paris", which will harden in a relatively short period oftime. When the mass it becomes hard it is taken out of the shoe and thesole portions thereof will have the same configuration as the contour ofthe support.

As illustrated in Figure 4 the last I! is provided with a layer ofplastic material l8 along the bottom thereof and a form I9 is placedtherealong, the latter having a plurality of vents 20 extendingtherethrough. The entire assembly is then strapped together by means ofstraps 2| and the plastic material I8 is caused to take the shape of thebottom of the last l1. Any excess material is permitted to be extrudedthrough the holes or vents 20. When the plastic material l8 has hardenedan arch support is provided which can be used in any shoe of thepatient.

With reference to Figure 5 there is illustrated a method of improving anexisting arch support according to this invention. The arch support 22previously positioned within a shoe 23 is covered with an excess amountof plastic material as illustrated at 24. The support 22 is providedwith a vent 25 in alignment with a vent 26 extending through the sole ofthe shoe 23. The patient puts on the shoe and walks with it for severalhours so that the mass 2 assumes the proper shape before getting hard onthe support 22. Any excess material is permitted to escape through thevents 25 and 26.

This method oflers special advantages for changing imperfections inexisting supports which have been previously made by the physician onthe basis of the bone and muscular construction of the foot. Thedistribution of the mass on the support shows the physician wherecorrections should be made.

Having thus described our invention so that those skilled in the art mayunderstand the same, we have set forth what we desire to secure byLetters Patent in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. The method of manufacturing orthopedic boots or shoes which includesthe steps of covering the inner sole of a shoe with a plastic masscapable of ready solidification, shaping the plastic mass to thecontounof the sole of a human foot and impressing said contour thereinby subjecting the plastic mass to said foot, walking upon the mass thusextruding excess portions thereof through vents extending through thesoles of said shoes, then permitting the mass to harden in the formimpressed thereon while in contact with said foot.

2. The method of manufacturing orthopedic boots or shoes which includesthe steps of covering the inner sole of a shoe with a plastic masscapable of ready solidification, shaping the plastic mass to the contourof the sole of a human foot and impressing said contour therein bysubjecting the plastic mass to said foot, walking upon the mass thusextruding excess portions thereof through vents extending through thesoles of said shoes, interrupting the extrusion of plastic materialthrough the vents, then permitting the mass to harden in the formimpressed thereon while in contact with said foot.

AUGUST F6Rs'rER. LUDWIG RUCKERT.

